Ball and seat



Feb 15: 192,7' I J. F. LARKIN BALL AND SEAT Filed lMarch 22, 1924 famx/fsys.

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4A/705? JAMES .F

Mllllll ated in the derrick.

Patented` Feb. 15,; 1927.

JAMES F. LARKIN, OFLOS GELES, CALIFORNIA.

4'mum AND SEAT;

poplicaton led'March 22, 1924-. v Serial No. 701,161.

My invention relates to the art of pumping oil Wells which also produce sulphur Water and sand. In this art a pump barrel is usually secured to the tubing of the wel] near the bottom thereof, a plunger being re.

ciprocated .in this pump barrel by means of sucker` rods Which pass upwardly through t-he tubing usually to -a walking beam situ- A vstanding valve is provided closingthe bottom of the pump barrel below the` plunger and a Working valve is also provided4 in the plunger.

Itis afvery diicult matter to .provide valves which'will remain tight in a Well which contains sand and sulphur Wat-erin addition vto the oil. It is an object of Iny invention to provide such valves.

In the standard formof pump, itis common to provide a steel ball Which seats on a steel seat and various alloys of steel have een used for this purpose. I have found that suchnietal valves and seats deteriorate v'ery'rapidly Where' they are exposed to the action of sulphur Water and sand. This deterioration I avoid by making the valve and seat of glass. y

Furtherv objects and advantages will be made evident hereinafter. 6, y

Referring to the Ydrawing"which is foi illustrative purposesonly, l

Fig. l is a side elevation. partly in section, of an oil Well equipped with my invention. l Fig. 2 is a' section onan enlarged scale, of one embodiment of valve made in acord-4 ance With my invention.

In the usual form of pumping equipment,

shown in Fig. 1` there is provided a Walk.- ing beam 11 operated by any suitable means,

not shown.

1l is the upper end of a string of suckerv Secured to the Walking beam rods 12 which` in turn. are secured at their lower ends to a plunger 13, sliding 1n a pump barrel 14. The pump barrel -14 is carried on tubing 15 Which extends up to and passes through` a casing head 16. A 'stu'fhng box 17- surrounds the upper end of the sucker rods 12. Closing the lower end of the pump I Y barrel 14y is a vstandingvalve not shown in the drawing and closing a central opening through the plunger 13 is a Working valve The .valves are similar in construction and consist of a seat 20 and a ball In pumping oilV wells, which carry considerable sand used,

and some sulphur Water,` the deterioration of the ball 2l and the seat 2O are very rapid due to mechanical and chemicalaction.

In the practice of my invention, I provide f a ball 21 and a seat'20 which are formed of glass. The .ball 21 is preferably solid and is cast or'v formed of molten glass in approximately spherical form and of. a diameter lslightly la'rger than the finished ball. The ball is then ground accurately in spherical form to the desired dimension. The seat 20 is similarly formed from molten glass and an annular spheroidal surface 22 is ground thereon by rotating the ball 21 in contact therewith, a paste of abrasive beingapplied to the surface 22 to assist in' this grinding.

The finished ball and seat forma tight Contact along the'surface 22. lThis contact, due to the affinity of Wat-er' for ground glass,

is peculiarly eflicient in holding oil pressure, the small space'between the ball and seat having a capillary film of Water there-4 in which resists intrusion ofv oil therein. 4At thesame time, this Water film prevents actual contact of the surfaces, and greatly vmini mizes the Wear.

The form -of valve seat especially adaptableto use in oil Well pumps consists of a cylindrical body 23 provided With an annular supporting flange 24 Which seats upon a-ledge 25 formedin the Wall of ther plunger an'd is retained securely in place by the lower face of a cage 26, which is threaded yinto' the plunger.l

In addition to the very great advantage 4of providing valve surfaces having an afIinity for water, the glass has the additional advantage of being almost entirely chemi callyinert in both Water, sulphur Water,

and oil. Vhere metal surfaces are used ,in

such liquids, considerable chemical action takes place, perhaps due to local electrolysis and a lrapid deterioration of the exposed surfaces. Glass is not a-Hected chemically, either by the oil,the Water'7 or by any substances commonly found in. solution in said Water.

In addition t'o the above advantages, the glass valve and seat are peculiarly well adapted to resistthevmechanical cutting ac-v tion of silt or sand. Where metal valves are they are rapidly cut away by the sand or siltf l Valves constructed inaccordance with my invention have avery long life,'even under conditions in which a metal valve and seat ing water and carrying sand or other abrav rapidly wearaway. y Y

I claim as my invention: v 1. In a pump for use in oil Wells containing water and carrying sand or other abrasive impurities. the combination of: avalve seat; and a valve seating thereon, said valve and seat beingformed of a material having a greater capillary affinity for-water than for oil, the contacting surfaces of `said valve and seat being ground to roughen the `surface thereof and thus increase this capillary ainity.

2, In a pump for use in oil wells contain-v sive impurities, the combination of: a valve seat; and a valve seating thereon, said valve and seat being formed of'glass which has a greater capillary ainity for water. than for v oil, the 4contacting*surfacesof said .valve and seat being ground to roughen the surface thereof and thus increase thiscapillary 3. n an oil `well pump, the combination of: a seat of sli htly roughened glas/s; and

a ball closing t e opening in said seat.

4. In anjoil well ump, the combination of: a seat; and -a bal of slightly roughenedV glass for closing the opening in said seat.

5'. In an oil well ump,-the combination of: a valve seat of s ightly roughened glass and a ball valve of slightly roughened glass.

6.V In a. method of forming a glass valve seat in a'n oil well pump, the step comprising; grinding a glass seat by means of a ball, said grmding bein done in such `a manner as to provide sai glass seat withva sli htly roughened surface.

Ina method of forming a glass valve seat in an oil well pump, the step compris- I ing: grindin a glass valve seat by means of the glass all which is to begusedfwith seat in such a. manner as to provide and a bal valve formed of said glass valve seat and said with slightly roughened surfaces.

8. In a plunger pump for use inoil wells containing water and carryingsand, or other abrasive impurities, thecombination of: a valve seatconsisting of. a cylindrical body and an annularlange extending therefrom;

glass ball 45 .means for retaining said valve seat in pos1-" tion in the plunger of said pump; and a valve seating on said seat, saidvalvevfand said'seatbeing formed of a material havingql a greater capillary afl'init for water thani for oil, thecontacting sur aces of said valve 1.

` and seat being ground to roughen the surfaces thereof and thus increase this capillary aiiinit 1 9. n a plunger pump-for use in oil wells containing water and carrying sand, or other abrasive impurities, the combination of: a Valve seat consisting of a cylindrical body and an annular flange extending therefrom;

means for retaining said valve seat in position'in the plunger of said pump;v and a valve seating on said seat, said valve and said seat being Vformed-oi glass which has a greater capillary aiiinity for Water than for oil, thecontacting surfaces of said valve and` seat being ground to roughen the surfaces thereof and thus increase V`this capillary 10. In an oil well-plunger pump, the com- .75v-

bination of a' valve seat formed 'of a cylindrical body provided with an annular flange ,adapted to vbe retained upon aV ledge` in the JAMES F. LA'RKiIN,

os Angeles, California, this 

